First report of invasive scale insects feeding on the threatened plants Calyptranthes kiaerskovii Krug & Urban and Calyptranthes thomasiana O. Berg in the British Virgin Islands

Invasive scale insects are reported for the first time feeding on the threatened endemic Kiaerskov's lidflower Calyptranthes kiaerskovii and Thomas' lidflower Calyptranthes thomasiana (Myrtaceae) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock, Ceroplastes rubens Maskell, Paratachardina pseudolobata Kondo & Gullan and an undetermined diaspidid were found on C. kiaerskovii; and C. rubens, Ceroplastes stellifer (Westwood), P. pseudolobata and an undetermined asterolecaniid on C. thomasiana. The significance of these findings and the on-going threats faced by these plant species in the wild are discussed. C. rubens, C. stellifer, P. howertoni Hodges & Hodgson and P. pseudolobata are recorded here for the first time from BVI.

Ceroplastes floridensis. [Distribution map].

A new distribution map is provided for Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Hosts: polyphagous. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Europe (Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Madeira), Asia (Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, China, Fujian, Guizhou, Hebei, Hong Kong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Macau, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Republic of Georgia, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Indonesia, Irian Jaya, Java, Sulawesi, Iran, Israel, Japan, Bonin Islands, Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Archipelago, Shikoku, Jordan, Korea Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam), Africa (Comoros, Egypt, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Reunion, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda), North America (Mexico, USA, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Misissippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington), Central America and Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands), South America (Brazil, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Sao Paulo, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Venezuela) and Oceania (Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and Palau).

Susceptibility of Ilex Species, Hybrids and Cultivars to Florida Wax Scale (Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock)

Susceptibility of 231 holly species, hybrids and cultivars to Florida wax scale (Ceroplastes floridensis Comstock) were evaluated on field grown plants in Tifton, Georgia. Florida wax scale have two generations/year in this region. Population ratings on different parental lines were grouped as either low populations (<10 scales/60 second count), moderate populations (11–20 scales/60 second count), high populations (21–40 scales/60 second count) and very high populations (>40 scales/60 second count). Taxa from the study rated as being least preferred (low populations) by the Florida wax scale included those with I. crenata, I. buergeri, I. glabra, I. myrtifolia, I. verticillata and I. vomitoria within parental lines. Those prone to heavy infestations were I. aquifolium, I. × attenuata, I. cassine, I. ciliospinosa, I. cornuta, I. × koehneana, I. latifolia, I. × meserveae, I. opaca, I. purpurea, I. rugosa and I. serrata. Other scale insects noted on the hollies included: Barnacle wax scale (Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock), Indian wax scale (Ceroplastes ceriferus (Fabricius)), European fruit lecanium (Parthenolecanium corni Bouche), Brown soft scale (Coccus hesperidum Linneaus), Tea scale (Fiornia theae Green), Latania scale (Hemiberlesia lataniae (Sign.)), and a pit scale (Asterolecanium puteanum Russell).